Defiance of the Fall

The peak of Middle Hegemony with Life, Death, and Conflict upgraded to Earthly Daos before Ultom. That was the ambitious target Zac set for himself and what he'd been desperately rushing towards, always feeling like he was falling behind. The past couple of months had completely changed that.

The Empyrean Chalice's training internalized and stabilized the huge amount of experience he'd accumulated through years of bitter fighting on the frontlines. The Atavism built upon his reinforced foundations, leading to a harvest of insights he'd been gathering since first coming in contact with the Remnants during the Eastern Trigram Hunt. The following series of breakthroughs allowed him to reach his goal with months to spare.

While somewhat expected since passing Rava's test, it left Zac at a loss. Sure, there were still things to improve, from his Technique to Soul and Constitutions. Honestly, Zac could have filled his day five times over with things that needed his attention. And yet, he was finished. Done. He felt tapped out like he'd spent all his money in a delirious shopping spree.

Except, instead of hard-earned money, it was his accumulation and momentum that had been exhausted. Just forcing his Daos of Life and Death to the next stage had squeezed out every little bit of his insights. The path forward was a haze so dense that Zac couldn't tell which direction to take his first step.

He'd advanced too far too quickly. Rava had repeatedly warned him her training regimen was only a patch and that he'd soon need to slow down. Zac wasn't foolish enough to disregard her teachings, and crossing two minor stages of Hegemony in as many years was indisputably too fast. Still, he'd always held onto the notion that he was the exception to the rule, like with so many other things.

So long as he had the resources and opportunities, why shouldn't he be able to keep going? There shouldn't be any lack of either now that they'd reached the inner parts of the graveyard, provided they didn't get embroiled in a conflict with the Black Heart Cult. He wasn't reliant on the Heavens for progress, only his two hands and his determination.

Now, Zac wasn't so sure. It might just be the exhaustion from surviving a heated battle just after facing death in the storm curtain, but Zac really felt like he'd reached a mental bottleneck as much as a cultivation one.

He even hoped that the Centurion Project was the key to triggering the trial early. He was raring to go, knowing the current situation held nothing for him. The thought of staying months inside the Imperial Graveyard waiting for the timer to reach zero was almost too much to bear. Zac wasn't convinced some troves would be enough to rekindle his momentum.

The only cure was time. Time to digest, rest, and regain a sense of normalcy after years of never stopping or slowing down. The same was true for his followers. And yet, rest would elude them until they'd dealt with the trial and its aftermath.

Zac shook his head, focusing on the present. There was no point in fretting about what would happen after reaching their destination. Whatever happened, he would deal with it, and the experience would set the stage for his next breakthrough.

For now, Zac needed to recover. Jaol was slightly neurotic, but he was rarely wrong. If he believed they'd been exposed, then that was likely the case. Zac ate another set of powerful Healing Pills and Natural Treasures, uncaring about their large amounts of Pill Toxins now that he had another batch of refined lightning cooking. Scabs and scars dried out before falling off, exposing smooth skin beneath.

Meanwhile, liquid resembling glistening moonlight filled the cracks in his Soul Aperture, mending the cracks while leaving Kintsugi-like patterns. It was courtesy of a powerful Soulmending Treasure he'd bought in the Limited Exchange. It was a forced recovery, though not that big of a problem, so long as he didn't overindulge. Part of it would be dealt with by the refined tribulation, the rest through practicing the [Nine Reincarnations Manual]. Until then, he would be able to use his Daos without much issue.

Seeing the cracks rapidly mend made Zac think of his bonded companion, and he suddenly felt a lot better after observing Kator through the administrator access. The reaver's state was far worse than Zac's, as not even the Tribulation Lightning was spared from their bond of solidarity. The healing vat had exploded, and he'd been forced to take out a spare.

He was still sitting in its bubbling liquid, almost in a catatonic state. The damage to Kator's warbones had worsened, with nasty scorch marks and the cracks reaching almost twice as far. His spiritual fluctuations were unstable, too, indicating his soul had taken hidden damage. There were no signs of any lightning or Heaven's aura. As expected, the link transferred the damage, not the physical attack.

Kator's soul wasn't as powerful as Zac's, even if Izh'Rak Reavers' souls benefitted from their bone-tempering methods. The [Solidarity Link] didn't take that into account when sending over half the damage. What was manageable damage to Zac was a significant setback for Kator. Zac assumed the reaver possessed some top-tier healing treasures, but he didn't have [Purity of the Void] or refined lightning to deal with the drawbacks.

It was highly unlikely Kator would be able to make any last-minute improvements before the trial in his current state, which was exactly what Zac hoped to see. Gaining another two Earthly Daos instilled Zac with confidence in case they really came to blows, but it would be for nothing if Kator broke through on his own.

Zac kept monitoring Kator with a sliver of his consciousness as he resumed his observation of his Dao Continent. He might be unable to see the path forward, but there were still discoveries to be unearthed of the road he'd already walked.

The engines kicked to life forty minutes later, allowing the Yphelion to resume its journey. Galau had come through again, doing the work of a full crew in half the time. Zac knew it was only possible by taking some shortcuts, but so what? They could worry about returning the Yphelion to a pristine state after they were safe.

Three more hours passed before his communication token buzzed, and Zac got to his feet with a grunt. He was far from having recovered his energy and healed his wounds, but the past month had already accustomed him to constant interruptions. He took a steadying breath before emerging from his chambers.

"They're back?" Zac said, seeing the bridge was almost empty with most combatants still in recovery.

"Nothing yet," Jaol said. "We needed your opinion. We're about to leave the calmer stretch. We've already plotted a preliminary path based on the trajectories you've sent. It's just, if we enter and—"

"If we encounter another enemy on the tight corridors, it won't be as simple as dealing with a trove," Ogras said as he emerged from the shadows. "You're okay?"

"Everything went well, thank you," Zac nodded, turning back to Jaol. "Can our ship handle it?"

"The energies are growing denser. We'll surpass what we dealt with before the curtain in a day or two," Jaol said.

Zac turned to Galau, who scratched his chin. "The shields aren't in a great state right now, but they'll be ready when we reach the more dangerous sections. That's provided we don't enter another firefight, mind you."

"So storms or cultists, we can't do both?" Zac summarized.

"We can try to find a calmer path by traveling along the storm wall," Jaol offered.

"A calmer path this deep in?" Ogras said. "How can there be such a good thing? We'll just increase the odds of running into whoever received that signal."

"I agree," Zac said. "The Yphelion's advantage lies in its speed, so that's what we'll have to rely on. Knowing we're here won't help if they can't catch up, and entering the storm will let us shake off any potential pursuit."

"Understood," Mark said, and the Yphelion resumed its journey.

Soon, they were back in the more familiar environment of the Imperial Graveyard, navigating narrow paths of relative calm with storms surrounding them. Zac stayed on the bridge, following the dizzying screen with a grim expression, half-expecting a boatload of Black Heart Cultists to pop up at any turn.

Hours turned to days, and Zac finally started to relax, believing the signal never managed to reach its intended target. There were no signs of Kan'Tanu or their masters anywhere, nor any other ships for that matter. Then again, the environment was growing increasingly chaotic and full of interference. Some stretches were so turbulent that a whole armada could have hidden an hour away without the Yphelion picking anything up.

Without any cultists to muddy the waters, their daily life went back to the hectic schedule of fitful bouts of training and recovery between clearing the paths of hostile Troves and aberrations. It quickly became obvious there was a difference in both risk and reward beyond the storm wall. The Troves grew larger, and they often held actual ruins and heritages.

Jaol believed an untouched cluster of Mystic Realms and Inner Worlds had emerged from the Void, similar to the Centurion Lighthouse. The unstable region had torn them apart, but the resentment hadn't had time to taint these remnants yet. Zac's Spatial Rings were rapidly filling up with ancient relics. He was picking up everything not bolted to the floor, even if it lacked any spirituality or clear purpose.

Rava had given him the task of bringing back items from the Limitless Empire, and Zac had no way to tell what she'd value and what was junk. He had plenty of spare rings, so there was no need to be discerning.

The others were also enjoying a bountiful harvest, including finding two more seal pieces. One of them belonged to the Anima Court, allowing Vilari to finish her seal. She used the insight to redraw the twisted version of the [Ember of Seven Sensations]. Reworking it would hopefully help against any lingering dangers, though Zac wasn't convinced it was enough to deal with the entity.

Despite their gains, they were forced to leave most valuables behind as they pushed through the storm at a breakneck pace. They entered the breaches to disperse the accumulated resentment or Spatial Energies, not look for loot. There wasn't time to break through the defenses of the real treasuries, whether it was ancient arrays or swarms of beasts and ghosts.

Not to mention, everyone was running on fumes. They were never given enough time to recover from the cultists, and the troves appeared with increasing frequency. Zac did what he could to cover for his companions with his newfound strength, a task easier said than done. His new Earthly Daos had given a boost to his strength and endurance, but it wasn't enough to keep going at this pace.

It wasn't a sustainable pace. Thankfully, they wouldn't have to keep it up much longer. The beacon signal kept growing stronger. One week in, it suddenly activated on its own, dragging Zac out of his meditation. He didn't infuse his will—it was seized—and Zac felt a powerful connection form.

Zac gasped when the tool turned to dust in his hands, only calming down when he could clearly feel their destination like a thread of fate. They were slightly further than he'd hoped, but they were still less than ten days away. It was at that moment Jaol rang again, this time with the message Zac hoped to never have to hear.

'Enemy spotted!'

"They came after all?" Zac said after rushing to the bridge.

"More like we came to them," Jaol sighed, opening a series of screens. "There's a heavy presence in the area."

"Can you see if it's Kan'Tanu or Black Heart Cult?"

"Not yet," the navigator said, and a few taps lit up spots on the maps. "I haven't discovered any vessels, but there appears to be a network of satellites set up here."

"Satellites?" Emily said. "How's that possible? Wouldn't the storms tear them apart?"

"I… think it's native corpses controlled by Heart Curses," Jaol explained. "Their energy signature is indistinguishable from the resentment. Our scanners only noticed them after they began sending signals similar to the Void Beast's."

"So the storm might be full of spies?" Zac grimaced. "When they started sending signals, was it related to us?"

"Definitely. Our cloaking methods clearly don't work against them. They might be noticing the energy we're stirring up with our flight rather than the ship."

"Should we destroy them?" Joanna suggested.

"No, they're deep in the storms, and it won't do us much good," Zac said after looking at the screens. "We'd lose more than we'd gain."

"Is it possible to block the signal?" Ogras asked.

"Impossible," Jaol said. "Even if I had the means, such a blockade would probably be just as noticeable to our enemies. Our scanner range is far greater than theirs, though. If we can figure out a way to discover them ahead of time, we might be able to navigate around them."

"Won't help us much if we're already discovered," the demon muttered, glancing in Kator's direction.

The reaver had been silent and brooding since being wounded, even if his bones had already healed up. He shook his head. "You're expecting too much of me, demon."

"Do what you can," Zac said to Jaol.

"I'll see if I can come up with something," Jaol nodded, though his face wasn't optimistic.

"We'll lead them right to the Foreign Gods if we're not careful," Joanna cautioned. "It might not be random that we encountered these things so close to our destination."

"I know, but we don't have much option but to keep going," Zac said. "If getting hold of those things was so easy, the Kan'Tanu would already have seized them."

"It might be for the best," Emily said. "Pull them all together and then unleash the Gods on them."

"You never know," Zac nodded.

Unfortunately, things didn't turn out as they hoped. Signals from hidden satellites kept going off as they advanced. Another six hours later, Jaol discovered the first vessel moving to intercept. Later, the Yphelion warned of a Monarch blocking their route, forcing them to cut through a storm to reach an alternative path.

No matter what they did, they couldn't shake off the pursuit. Their situation only grew more hopeless.

"Is the whole cult hiding out here?" Ogras spat after a day of dogged pursuit, seeing the seven vessels picked up by their long-range scanner.

"They're corralling us," Joanna exclaimed. "If we follow their arrangements—"

"We'll get surrounded and taken out," Zac nodded, glowering at the screen.

The path they came from had already closed like a trapdoor slamming shut. They only had two routes forward, each blocked by cultist vessels. Braving the storms was an even worse option. They'd picked up multiple C-grade fluctuations from aberrations. Even if their shields could endure the storm, they couldn't endure that level of resentment.

"Pick the weaker side and head straight toward it. We're breaking through!"

"Wait, I managed to break through their shielding," Jaol said, his face pale as snow. "There are Monarchs hidden in each camp!"

Zac drew a sharp breath. Facing a genuine Monarch was asking too much on a good day, let alone in their current state. It'd be no different than smashing an egg against a rock if Zac insisted on forcing their way through. Neither was backing down an option. Zac glanced at Galau, who grimly nodded in agreement. They were out of options, so they could only roll the dice and hope for the best.

"Brace yourselves!" Zac roared as he triggered the backdoor module hidden in his sleeves.

"Draugr, what are you—"

Kator didn't have time to finish his sentence before a wave of Death spread and flooded every room and hallway of the Yphelion. It felt like they'd plunged into an icy lake.

"—doing?" the reaver continued, warily looking around as a foreign aura permeated the bridge. He suddenly stood ramrod straight and released his Dao. "You madman! What have you done?"

"I used another method to escape. What are you doing?" Zac said, his mind mostly on the surge of information that had poured into his mind.

"Escaped? You've doomed us," Kator said with a hollow laugh as dark threads began to appear.

They were everywhere: on the walls, ceiling, and the instruments. Even on the people around him. Zac looked with trepidation as a line appeared on his left wrist, and his shock only deepened upon realizing he was utterly incapable of removing it. He quickly turned to the reaver, who seemed to be the only one to understand what was happening.

"Where is this?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you've brought us to Kālasūtra."